


A Mask by Any Other Name

by stardustkr7



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman Eternal (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Silly, batman eternal - Freeform, just pure silly, small 4th wall break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 16:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4144215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustkr7/pseuds/stardustkr7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“How come whenever I see you, the helmet looks a little different?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mask by Any Other Name

Batgirl narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the person who had landed on the top of the bridge where she was sitting, watching the sunrise and drinking a coffee. Then she patted the concrete next to her, inviting him to sit down.

“How come whenever I see you, the helmet looks a little different?” she asked as Red Hood sat down, legs swinging of the edge with hers.

“Maybe the multiverse is broken and no one can agree on how to draw it correctly?” he suggested.

“What?”

“Nevermind. You do realize I have more than one, right?” said Jason, finally pulling off the helmet and smirking at her. “And I’m always tinkering with them. Don’t you work on improving your gear?”

Barbara shrugged. “Yeah, well, not me so much. I kinda have a guy,” she said, thinking of Qadir who always managed to surprise her with a new little gadget.

“Oh, you have a guy?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not like that,” she said, nudging him with her elbow. “He’s in the robotics lab at my college and sometimes comes up with new stuff for me is all.”

“Mmmhhmmm.”

“He’s a friend. And we were talking about your lack of helmet continuity,” said Barbara, folding her arms.

Jason held out the helmet to her. “Go ahead, check it out if you’re curious,” he said.

She frowned at it for a second, then reached up and pulled off her cowl. “We’ll trade,” she said, passing it in one hand while taking his in the other.

He wasted no time in plunking it on his head, saying, “It’s a lot roomier than I expected. Big enough to hold that big brain of yours.”

“Are you calling me big headed?”

“No! I’m calling you smart!”

“Oh, well, then,” said Barbara, blushing a little. “Thank you.”

She turned her attentions back to his helmet, examining it from all angles. Tonight, it seemed to have some facial shape but not enough to really call it a mask. She prodded the side, surprised to find the material give a little.

“It’s squishy. Does it fold up? I thought it was more like a solid helmet,” she said.

“Nah, it’s more like a carbon polymer blend.”

“Doesn’t give your head a lot of protection.”

“Stop stalling and try it on,” he said, smirking at her again.

“Ew, what if you were sweating in there?”

“I was not sweating in there. That much, anyway.”

Barbara gave him a look then decided she had probably done grosser in the name of scientific curiosity (and really, when did a little sweat actually gross her out?). Shaking her hair out of her face, she slipped it on her head and looked over at him, surprised at how well she could actually see out of the narrow eye openings.

In fact, she could clearly see him holding up a cell phone and taking a picture.

“Jason! What the… delete that!” she demanded, making a grab for it. His arms were longer and he held it just out of her reach.

“Wait, lemme put this on Pixstagram,” he said, laughing.

“You don’t have a Pixstagram!”

“Maybe I’ll make one, just for this picture.”

“Jasonnn! Fine! If that’s how you want it,” she said, tearing off the helmet and holding it over the side of the bridge threateningly. “Delete the picture, or I drop it.”

“Go for it. I have a couple more back at my place and I don’t really have a secret identity to hide. But you on the other hand …” he said, pulling her cowl off and holding it up.

Damn. Of course, she had a spare domino mask in her belt just in case something happened to her cowl, but she didn’t want to resort to it. Not to mention, making a new one would be a pain.

“No one. Sees. That. Ever,” Barbara said through gritted teeth.

“I won’t post it. Or send it to anyone,” Jason promised, setting down the cowl so he could mime crossing his heart. “But I am making it my lock screen.”

“You’re an idiot,” she said with a sigh, setting down his helmet next to hers.

“Yeah. But I do think you’d make a cute Red Hood,” he said, still grinning at the picture. “Too bad I don’t have the legs to be your Batgirl.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Jason Todd.”


End file.
